Karma and Natural Law

Your thoughts are powerful. They carry energy. Your thoughts and feelings shape the world within you; your words and actions shape the world around you. Whatever you do will always come back to you.

There is a law in physics that says that for every action, there will always be an equal or opposite reaction. But the truth is, this isn’t actually a physical law–it is a spiritual law manifested in the physical world around us. In the laws of Nature, it is known as the law of consequences, the law of reaping what you sow.

It is the law of Karma.

The Law of Karma

Karma is the law of cause and effect, an unbreakable law of the cosmos, or Natural Law. Karma is in place to show you that one day, whether in this life or the next, you will find yourself under same circumstances that you put someone else in.

Your actions create your future. Everything you create today builds what will be in your future. Every feeling, every thought, has been prepared especially for you, so that you can learn from your past and create a better future.

Karma and Free Will

Karma does not negate free will. This means your future is not pre-ordained, but is based on the choices you make and how you react to circumstances, and how you take ownership and responsibility for your actions in the present moment. You can’t escape from your past, but learning from it will change your future. Life gives you many chances to adjust and make changes along the way.

Intention and Bad Karma

If you deliberately set out to harm someone, it is the intention behind your actions that creates bad karma. Good intentions will always create “good karma.” You can hide your real intentions from others but not from yourself or the universe. The universe knows your true motives, no matter what you portray to others. So there is no use pretending to yourself or anyone else. What you do to others is like throwing a rock in a pond.  You create waves that affect the entire whole. The universe knows your ulterior motives, whether good or bad.

The same is true for not caring about how your actions affect others.  If you don’t care about the effect your actions may have, you will create a situation that has negative karma.  When we act with intention for the highest good, then good will be the result.  It is when we intentionally hurt others, or don’t care who we hurt that gets us into karmic trouble.

You Will Never be Happy at Someone Else’s Expense

Some say that if you genuinely didn’t mean to harm or hurt someone, then the law of karma doesn’t apply.  Not exactly. If you unintentionally hurt someone, you are still responsible and liable for the damage you may have caused. However, if you were negligent or just didn’t know better, the universe takes that in to account. It is your motive and intention behind what you do that determines the kind of karma you bring upon yourself.

No one can truly escape from the law of karma, although the response is not always immediate. The universe is complex beyond human understanding and so is karma. You might think based on appearances that someone has escaped the consequences of their actions, but in the greater universal understanding, that is not the case. We are part of this universe. How can our actions be separate from the whole?

 

Karma in Real Life

Karma is about teaching empathy and compassion. Karma helps you learn from your mistakes by understanding how your actions impact others. Karma accomplishes this by “putting the shoe on the other foot,” so to speak.

Karma helps you experience life from many different perspectives. It helps you to understand why you did something and be able to observe the consequences. You get to feel how others felt as a result of the actions you took. A karmic experience allows you to reflect on and correct your mistakes. Karma helps your understanding of the “fairness” of life’s events by giving the world a more complete picture. It is only when you step into someone else’s shoes that you can begin to understand how they feel. You will continue to have the same experiences until you learn what others have felt and experienced because of you.

Most people are fighting an inner battle against something you know nothing about. Therefore you must not judge them. You haven’t walked in their shoes. You don’t know what they have been through. They might have been abused, faced hardship, or never been loved. If you judge, then you will be judged. Learn to accept others as they are.

Forgiveness relieves you from pain. It takes a great person to forgive. Revenge will harm you. Forgiveness does not mean you are happy with what was done to you. It means that you are kind and loving enough to move on. You will be setting a great example for others. Great things happen to those who can let go and forgive.

Be grateful for your life, this is so important! Did you eat today? Are you healthy? Do you have shelter?  Express your gratitude. It will give you inner peace.

Karma also reminds you that the good and bad you see in others also exists in you. What you see in others is just a reflection of yourself. Always look for the good in everyone.

The energy you send out ALWAYS comes back to you. Ever notice when someone is in a bad mood, how they can affect others around them? Angry people often find more things to be angry about, just because they are focused on their anger. However, when you radiate happiness and positive energy, then that is what you will receive back. That is why when you are in a good mood, the world seems so beautiful. You are sending out wonderful vibrations that are bound to have a ripple effect.

Another facet of the Karmic law of Cause and Effect is that if others need help from you and you give them very little, then one day, if you require help, you will also receive very little. What you give, comes back to you in kind.

By now you can see that nothing happens by chance. Everything happens so you can learn, adjust and make changes.

The way others behave towards you is their karma, the way you respond will determine yours.

Karma and The Words You Say

Any criticism that you make against someone else will eventually be made against you. If you decide to criticize others, be prepared for them to scrutinize and criticize you. The judgments you hold have a negative effect. The more you judge people, the more you will be judged.

Perhaps this is why in the Bible Jesus talked about the consequences of judging others. In the book of Matthew, chapter 7 verses 1-3, Jesus demonstrated his understanding of the the law of Karma when he said this:

“Judge not lest you be judged. For with the judgment you use to judge others, and with what measure you use, it shall be measured back to you.” (paraphrased)

Jesus also spoke about loving one’s enemies and turning the other cheek when someone raises a hand against you. Many scholars and interpreters through the years have had trouble with this concept. Do we turn a blind eye when someone is doing wrong? Do we become a doormat and let people abuse us?

The short answer is no. I don’t believe that Jesus was admonishing people to become doormats and allow themselves to be abused. I believe what Jesus was trying to do was to help his disciples and followers to understand was the Karmic Law of Cause and Effect. He wanted them to check their motive.

Realize that someone else’s actions do not have to determine your reaction.  You can always choose a higher principle to live by, and you don’t have to live in such a way that causes you to stay under the thumb of controlling people. Choose a higher vibration, send that person love and move on. You don’t have to stoop to their level. When you choose a higher vibration, you pull yourself out of the karmic wheel and set yourself on a clearer, higher path.

Jealousy and Judging Others

One way to guard against the tendency to judge others is to root out jealousy in yourself wherever possible. Comparing yourself to someone else can lead to jealous thoughts. Be grateful, not upset, for any abilities someone else may have that make you feel inferior.  If you feel inferior in light of someone else, see that as an opportunity to work on yourself and begin viewing yourself in a more positive light.

You may have abilities that are stronger than someone else’s. And others may excel in areas where you do not. The key to not being jealous is to choose to be grateful for other people’s talents that they bring into the world. Rather than be jealous, see them as helping to better the planet by living why the reason they are here.

Why do we judge others? Who are we to judge?  Everyone has talents according to their karma.  If someone is beautiful, talented, smart, has great relationships and has everything going for them, recognize that perhaps they earned that karma from their past. Who are we to judge that? Let them serve as an inspiration for what we can all become when we work out our negative karma.

Perspectives change once we realize that we are all one. The truth is, when you harm another, you are harming yourself. Understanding the law of karma helps transform you into a better person. The more you are aware of the meaning of life, the fewer lessons you will need before you can pursue and achieve your dreams. Karma and the repetition of tough lessons in your life is not punishment; it is helping you work out your issues so you can have a brighter future.

Being kind to others is the same as being kind to yourself. Kindness gives others hope. Stopping to help someone  might mean a minor inconvenience for you, but for them, it can mean a great deal. Kindness is the most valuable gift you can give to someone. It changes them, and it changes you. By lifting up someone in need, you automatically lift yourself. In that instant, you are making the world a better place.

Bad Karma

Your so-called ‘bad karma’ is actually a blessing in disguise. The key to releasing bad karma and embracing a better life is to recognize that all lessons in life are there to help you get back on track. The toughest lesson that you endure and especially the ones that seem to repeat in your life, will not go away until those lessons have taught you what you must know.

Be humble and grateful for all of the challenging lessons you face and ask for spiritual wisdom to help you learn what you need to learn so that you can move on from it.

Every time you learn a valuable life lesson, a piece of your soul heals. Embrace the lessons for the healing they can bring.

Can I Change My Karma?

Can you change your karma? Yes. Anything you did in your past can be “undone” by doing good now. You have reaped what you have sown. Acknowledge that you have created your own destiny, and now you can choose recreate it by learning from the past.

Be humble in all things and take full responsibility for your thoughts, words and actions.

Remorse can be a great starting point. Feeling sorry for something you did sends a signal to the universe that you are responding to your karma. Remorse comes from empathy and imagining how others feel.  When you have remorse, you are saying that you have awareness of your actions and how they impacted others. This is the beginning of releasing negative karma. You have started to undo what you did.

Sometimes, you have to experience what you have done to others. No matter how bad you have been, you can always begin again. You can erase bad karma beginning with remorse, and then practice kindness and love.

If you ever harmed anyone, ask them for forgiveness. Their forgiveness will dissolve any bad karma and turn it into good karma. Your guilt will disappear. You will feel wonderful. If that person is deceased, you can still ask for forgiveness through prayer. Ask God’s forgiveness and then seek to do good in the world.

Love Your Enemies, Don’t Seek Revenge

Revenge usually damages the self. When you hate or dislike someone, it creates negativity. Turning negativity around and wishing someone well who hurt you allows you to let go of bad energy. You have to wish them well in your mind and mean it.

My husband and I like to say, “We bless you on your way,” when an angry driver cuts people off in traffic. Rather than get angry at them, we just send love to that person and trust that they will have a better day later on. It helps us to not dwell on being angry at them, but to understand they are having a tough day. It helps us not get sucked into their negativity.

Be kind to those who are unkind and angry. They need it the most. Do not seek revenge. You will only hurt yourself and others around you. Allow the universe to use its infinite powers to help you. No one can harm you when your intentions are pure.

Our thoughts and actions are the forces we send out of ourselves. All life is about expression. Your soul is trying to express and see itself in everything. The universe wants harmony. It seeks to balance things out.

Final Thoughts

Remember, the purpose of karma is not revenge. The universe is not vengeful. The purpose of karma is to help you become a better person.

The effects of karma are sometimes immediate, and in other cases, there is a delay. However, there will always be consequences to your actions, no matter how long the delay. Remember that the consequences of your actions, good or bad, may even follow you into the next life. Perhaps any karmic delay can be viewed as giving someone time to rectify their actions and make things right.

Practice self-awareness regarding the intention behind your actions. When you act with love, you are less likely to incur drastic karmic rebalance into your life.

What you do in life is your choice, because you have free will. What happens to you as a result of your choices is up to the Karma you create.

We can mitigate our karmic consequences on some level by being humble and practicing gratitude and seeking forgiveness when we harm others.

In this world, we are bound by the Law of Cause and Effect. So tread lightly and learn to create a better, brighter future.

It is, after all, the reason you are here.